Some call it swimming with the sharks,
others how to deal with game players who are unaccountable and who have
little or no human conscience/remorse.I am collecting
documents to show people how politicians manipulate the public into making
the wrong choice. If you have any please send them to me. By e-mail [ donbar@arvotek.net
]
or to FCB, Station B, Box 1504 Mississauga Ontario, L4Y 4G2
Here is one example of coping with the anti-democratic
strategies and how to recognize the right's control/obstruction tactics
used:

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT OR
PUBLIC RELATIONS:WHAT DOES IT MEAN?Originally Published
5/94, converted to HTML 7/97.

A REFERENCE GUIDE FOR RECOGNIZING
POLITICAL/SOCIAL CONTROL TACTICS BY POWER BROKERS, LARGE CORPORATIONS,
PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS, AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES.

Tactic
1Make it difficult or impossible
for people to be involved: These typical control tactics set things up
so that it's difficult and inconvenient for interested parties such as
the affected public to participate. Examples:

* Meetings are scheduled at inappropriate
locations or times ; i.e., during regular working hours, highway rush hours,
dinner times, or deliberately conflicting times with similar interest meetings.
Strict meeting "guidelines" and use of question cards discourages real
dialogue and keeps attendees under control.

* Schedule lengthy one-way presentations
that will not allow give-and-take exchange. This precludes the public (including
the press) from asking questions or clarifications.

* Conveners may insist that all
questions be held until the end, by which time people are tired, the meeting
area must be vacated, and the press has had to leave to meet deadlines.

* Allow the public limited time,
and a limited number of questions that must pertain to their predetermined
set of allowable topics; while the conveners drag out their answers, essentially
filibustering away the rest of the time for the meeting and coincidentally
time for open discussion of issues and answers that many attendees showed
up for.

* Staff may be trained to be nice,
while also being trained to handle the public by using subtle harassment
or baiting techniques, which a also discourage public involvement.

These tactics are used to fulfil
requirements for public outreach in order to legitimize the process. if
attendance is sparse, it will be blamed on public apathy, rather than a
deliberate effort to exclude public participation.

Reject this pre-tense for public
involvement. Short-circuit this tactic by standing up as a group and announcing
an immediate press conference that will give the press the real story from
the citizens outside of the meeting room or across the street from the
building, then get up and leave as a group. If this is not immediately
possible, let the conveners know that your group will hold its own meeting,
protest, and/or press conference the next morning and will continue to
inform the media of their non-cooperation on these issues.

Tactic
2Divide and Conquer: This is well-established
tactic that effectively puts similar interest groups at odds against each
other, when they would otherwise be a formidable force fair corporate or
government responsiveness and accountability. This tactic uses existing
tensions and divisions between organizations.

Name this tactic as soon as you
recognize it to short-circuit its effectiveness. Make sure that everyone
understands what interests they share in common, and why it is in their
best interest to continue- to work together. A few favorite tactics are
described below. Examples:

* Divide a large issue into many
small ones. This forces people and/or organizations to fight many small
battles, dispersing their energies. Small groups working in isolation of
each other may not be as effective as coordinating efforts to maximize
through solid communication and networking.

* Provide enough resources to
cover only part of the problem. This can include preparing only a few copies
of handouts or important documents so that self-imposed constraints prevent
them from being able to provide x, y, or z service-while it is obvious
that there is plenty of budgetary allowance for gratuities, amenities,
or items that fulfil their bias or agenda.

* Appoint a committee using key
members of the public-including appointees with views similar to the convener,
funder, or directing agency to maintain their control of the committee.
Their involvement is then publicly highlighted whether or not they attend
or participate. Their names will be used strategically (sometimes in absentia),
or photos are used to imply consent, agreement, or consensus with the committee-although
they may object or disagree with the viewpoint or findings of the committee.

Right's tactics designed to curb
public participation

Citizens (token) used in this
manner may or may not be aware of their names or pictures being used to
artificially lend credibility to the committee or findings in question.
In some cases, they may be unaware that they are considered to be a member
of the committee.

* Many separate tables are used
in large banquet or meeting rooms to break a meeting up into small discussion
groups. This effectively keeps valuable information that would otherwise
be revealed in the general discussion from being heard by the larger group,
which would have enhanced communal brainstorming and questioning of the
process or problem at hand. These small group discussions may then be summarized
and reported back to the larger group. Carefully placed shills or committee
members may serve as group leaders to control group feedback. This suppresses
any controversial discussions that don't fit the convener's agenda, and
inhibits networking or brainstorming on the issue.

* Seating arranged in "audience
fashion" relegates you to a passive role in these meetings. Short-circuit
this tactic by playing Musical Chairs. Insist that the tables and/or chairs
be moved (circle or horseshoe shape) so that everyone can be an active
participant with the conveners or presenters. Put yourselves at the same
level and/or table with the power brokers so there is no distance to allow
them to feel comfortably in control (no shield). Convert their agenda to
your agenda.

* Public relations campaigns (blitzes)
into the community will seek out homeowners' associations, service groups,
schools, and so on, to present biased, incomplete, or misleading information
to side-step opposition to mould and win over public opinion about key
issues.

* Conduct private (behind closed-door
or impromptu) meetings with civic groups, government, or public officials
(i.e., city council, county commissioners, etc.) of similar political or
philosophical leanings without informing citizens or organizations with
opposing viewpoints of these meetings.

* Wrong information regarding
time and location is provided-too late to be corrected (The scavenger hunt).
This ensures that their message will be presented without all sides of
an issue being recognized or openly discussed.

Tactic
3Pack the Meeting: The power brokers
will encourage employees at attend x, y, or z meeting. They may also establish
telephone trees (which we should be doing) to get employees and supporters
to pack a meeting to simulate public support for their position on an issue,
and to set the tone of the meeting.

* Comment or question cards are
used in place of a communal microphone for participants to go to, so everyone
can hear and participate in the discussion (see Tactic 1-filibustering).

Short-circuit this tactic by meeting
with your neighbours, colleagues, or constituents for a pre-meeting conference
to discuss opposition tactics and strategy that are barriers to getting
your views aired. Come up with your own list of strategy and critical points,
then divide them up among yourselves.

Go to the meeting prepared with
fact-sheets, questions, and comments that support your views. Brainstorm
with your colleagues, refine the information, then pass it around the neighbourhood,
or the target audience for and after the meeting. Call the tactics as you
see them occur in the meeting to defuse them. Insist on a fair airing of
the issues, within everyone's hearing.

Tactic
4Economic Blackmail: When dealing
with politically heated issues, especially "company town" polluters, the
first threat may be that massive layoffs will occur if they have to: change
a process, stop polluting, fix safety problems, clean up contamination,
and so on. This is a Red Herring score tactic that should be immediately
brought to everyone's attention.

* In 1988, the Rocky Flats Nuclear
Weapons Facility (RFP) was faced with changes that included decommissioning,
the contractor threatened massive layoffs. Economic developers and chambers
of commerce predicted local devastation. To the contrary, the cleanup has
been a huge economical boost for subcontractors and RFP personnel, who
have nearly doubled the numbers of employees that were needed for full
production and chemical recovery of plutonium pits for nuclear warheads.

Right-wingers will try to belittle
and derail your efforts

* Retraining and educational programs
have blossomed at local colleges. The people to watch are the developers
and Chambers of Commerce, who will attempt to create new projects, while
"dumbing down the work-force" by bringing in minimum wage workers for cleanup
jobs, layoff union people, and funnel profits to special interest chums.
Stay united, call that tactic, and make them accountable.

No one likes to be picketed, boycotted,
or pictured negatively in the press-these citizen tactics are relatively
easy to implement.

Tactic
5Give the appearance of action
without doing anything: When faced with an obvious need for change, CEOs
of politicians or bureaucrats may try to give the appearance of taking
action without actually doing anything. These tactics may sound like this:

* "We have decided to appoint
an advisory, special sub-committee or commission to study or handle the
problem. We want (or need) members of our group to volunteer assistance
because we do not have money for staff."

* "Your knowledge, input, or time
is so valuable (and so on), we would like you to help us with x, y, or
z to work out solutions" (but they will fail to assimilate your information,
suggestions, or concerns).

* "We would like to help you by
doing x, y, or z for you" but the reciprocal help never appears (carrot
on the stick).

* "We plan to issue a policy or
statement regarding that problem next week, month, year.... so that everyone
will know what to do in the future..." Beware of right-wing corporate or
political officials stealing your uncompensated time to tie you up, keeping
you out of circulation in the community. Volunteerism can be abused, becoming
a time quicksand.

Don't accept inconsequential actions,
excuses, and "donothingitis." Set a reasonable amount of time for genuine
action, and then tell everyone that you expect action by that date. Think
twice before joining "study committees" or "advisory groups" that are not
policy-changing bodies and thus have no real power to do anything about
the issue or problem in question, are funded and directed by your adversary,
or by those that represent the other side of your issue.

There may not be an accurate record
of what has happened from the beginning, during, or at the end of these
efforts. Refusal to allow the recording of meetings, or have an accurate
paper trail to document important meetings and proceedings is a serious
red flag of cover-ups and problems.

Tactic
6Give then a Red Herring, or Got
then to the Wrong Bunny. This is an issue air information offered to be
little, patronize, or confound and derail your efforts. When right-wingers
try to change the subject from what you are concerned about to what they
want you to focus on, they are using a "Bait and Switch" routine.

Examples:* "I don't know what you're talking
about; You don't know your facts; That issue is not important; Why are
you interested in that issue?; You have not done enough research; You aren't
an expert; Your issue is beside the point, irrational, emotional, or not
practical; Why don't you check into, or work on x, Y, or z, instead?"

* Engaging attendees in detailed
explanations or debates that are intended to sidetrack the issue of concern,
hoping that in the heat of debate, you will: Give up, get tired, go home,
and forget the key issue.

Be aware of time-wasters that
will eat up meeting time, and are designed to wear you down. when confronted
with this tactic, don't get sidetracked. You don't have to be an expert
to ask questions, ask for information, or to have legitimate concerns.

Write notes throughout the meeting-this
will help keep you on track. Stick to the issues you want to discuss, while
making a special note to follow up or address the other person's issue
later, if they genuinely desire to do so.

Tactic
7Refuse to give out or make it
impossible to got it: Politicians and bureaucrats hope that this tactic
will discourage you, to that you will give up and go away. The Freedom
of Information Act may have to be invoked to got cooperation. You must
know what information you need, what agency to request it from, and what
to look for. The "Key and Lock" buzzwords and descriptions must be included,
or the very information you took may be withhold from you.

When you know the rights tactics,
you can counter them

Examples:* Governments and government
departments protecting damaging information may try to charge exorbitant
fees for information to be searched, copied, and sent to you. Request fee
waivers based upon public interest needs and public right-to-know laws.

* The requester maybe flooded
with huge amounts of useless information that is irrelevant or out of date.
This is called a "data dump" in legal circles. This is a common tactic
used by legal rivals on cases to eat up valuable pre-trial discovery time.
it takes a critical eye, speed reading, and some research or historical
knowledge to be able to weed through the useless information to find what
you want.

To deal with the system effectively,
you need the facts. If you have the facts, the system has to deal with
you more openly. Democracy depends on people having the information needed
to allow meaningful input and interaction with the system. The refusal
to give out information may sound like this:

* "We don't have that information;
x, y, or z is not in today, or I'm not authorized to fulfil this request;
We can only give out a summary (They decide what is meaningful, included,
excluded, or edited); Why do you think that's important?; Justify your
interest, or legitimize your need; We don't think you need that information."

Recognize these tactical phrases
meant to put you off the track of the information you need to level the
playing field with your opponent, and don't accept lame excuses for non-performance
or non-compliance.

Key
Strategies to Short-Circuit the Control Game

* AS SOON AS A TACTIC HAS BECOME
APPARENT, LABEL IT:When you name that tactic publicly,
it loses its power. You can counter these tactics with a minimum of wasted
effort by keeping the lines of communication open with your colleagues
and other similar interest organizations.

* BE OBSERVANT OF INTERACTIONS,
TACTICS, AND WHO MAY BE CALLING THE SHOTS BEHIND THE SCENES:Recognize that, although individual
sub-managers or bureaucrats may front for the opposition, they should not
be the targets of your efforts. Evaluate where strategic counter-tactics
would be the most effective. Good mottoes to keep in mind: "Always go to
the top," and "It's the squeaky wheel that gets fixed."

* DO NOT ALLOW RIGHT-WINGERS OR
THEIR FIGUREHEADS TO LABEL YOU:as a troublemaker, or as someone
with emotional or personal problems (i.e., "psychiatrically" linked to
a site or set of issues, don't have a life because you volunteer a lot
of your time, are a paid staffer or knowledgeable citizen, so your opinion
doesn't count, or don't have "x- number of constituents behind you) to
legitimize sidestepping serious issues and/or your concerns. Be alert to
the patronizing "concern look." This is contrived to give the appearance
of questioning your mental or emotional stability to elicit a reaction.
Keep cool and don't give them the reaction they want from you. Any person
might become dedicated to seeking solutions, and become angry or frustrated
over the distancing treatment politicians, bureaucrats and corporations
use to keep the public at arm's length over difficult issues.

* MAKE YOUR ISSUE OR ADVERSARY
AN OBJECT OF INTENSE STUDY:Never stop questioning your previous
conclusions about them. Get all the information you can, and keep getting
it. Put this information to productive and meaningful use, then network
it around.

* NEVER RELAX AFTER A VICTORY:and don't underestimate the power
of determination.

* RENEW YOUR OWN OUTREACH REGULARLY:by having current concerns and
information prepared and ready to distribute at every opportunity. Use
their meetings for opportunities to pass out your own targeted information.
Use several people to see that all attendees end up with copies of your
information. Ask local copiers or businesses to help duplicate materials.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that
ever has." -- Margaret Mead, Anthropologist

"Reports based on faulty foundations
of inconsistent, missing, or biased data are meaningless, misleading, and
worthless. To deliberately present bad data as if it were meaningful is
scientifically invalid and immoral." -- Environmental Information Network
(EIN), Inc.

EIN -- A think-tank involved in
researching and analyzing hazardous waste and radiotoxic environmental
information and issues in order to disseminate technical information for
public education.